Recipe: Bundles of Joy

Photo by Jenn Hair

Published: November 30, 2015

While most parts of the country prepare for the holidays with glazed hams, in the southwestern United States, tamales are the traditional food of the Christmas season. The Mexican custom is a family affair, with mothers, grandmothers, cousins and aunts getting together to lovingly prepare each part—the stuffing, masa and salsa—from scratch. “My grandmother made it look too easy,” says Adriana Prioleau, the program coordinator of The Happy Kitchen. “She always had everything ready!” If you’d like a little more hands-on instruction, Prioleau is teaching a class on how to make these chicken-filled tamales at the Sustainable Food Center on Dec. 12. Makes 3 dozen

Directions

To make the chicken stew:In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, cabbage and onion, and saute for four or five minutes. Add potato and saute for another three minutes. Finally, add chicken, peas and salsa verde to the vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Let simmer for about five minutes or until carrots and potato are tender. Drain stew and reserve liquid; you should have at least 1 cup.

To make tamales: Place the corn husks in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Make sure they are all submerged and let soak. In another large bowl, mix fresh masa, salt, baking powder and warm chicken broth. Add reserved stew liquid and knead vigorously, to incorporate air into the masa. Then add warm, almost hot, olive oil and continue kneading until the dough is fluffy. The dough will be ready when a ball of it floats in a cup of water without falling apart. Separate the dough into three equal parts and then separate each part into 12 smaller pieces (36 total). Cover the dough with a damp cloth to keep it from drying out.

Remove the corn husks from the water and shake off excess water. Place one ball of dough in the center of a husk and spread it toward the top and the sides until it forms a rectangle of even thickness; leave the bottom inch of the husk empty. Fill the center of the dough with 1-2 tablespoons of the filling, then fold in the sides of the husk and fold up the bottom. Repeat until all tamales are filled.

Prepare tamale steamer by adding enough water to reach the base of the steamer basket; add a tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil. Line the steamer basket with a few corn husks and then arrange the tamales folded side down. Cover with the remaining husks and cover with the lid. Steam the tamales over medium heat for 40-50 minutes. Uncover and let cool a few minutes before removing from steamer basket. Serve warm.